Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has pledged to “substantially increase” the number of foreign students accepted into Canada over the course of 2009.

Citing Australia as a prime example of a county which has been able to generate revenue and address its labour shortage, Minister Kenney added that entering Canada as foreign students would set prospective migrants on a “much faster pathway to immigration”.

The Canadian Experience Class, introduced in 2008, now allows foreign students who graduate from Canadian citizenship to apply for full residency. Minister Kenney has stated that he hopes that the opportunity for fast-tracked Canadian immigration will bring the country on a level par with Australia, which was home to some 278,000 compared to Canada’s 176,000.

Kenny also added that the “significant reduction” expected in terms of temporary foreign workers due to the global economic crisis would need to be compensated for, not least because foreign students are deemed to be a lucrative source of income.

As yet, the Canadian government has not announced a quota or target for 2009’s foreign student intake.